I have often wondered how things would have been if certain events had not occurred. For example, my dad died when I was only seven, and my mom was forced to join the work force. I hardly got to know my father and I can only assume I would not have been ditching school by 4th grade had my mom remained a stay at home mom. I remember getting caught once and while my friend was suspended, the nuns didn’t tell my mom about it because they didn’t want to trouble her. They said she had enough to deal with.

When it came time for high school, I spent the first year in the same catholic school my three older siblings had attended. Then I convinced my mom to let me attend an “alternative” school. On the one hand, that may have been a mistake. This was a highly disorganized group of teachers bucking the system, who in retrospect had no clue as to how to reign in a bunch of teenagers. Needless to say, I resumed my ditching. On the other hand, I did develop my love of writing in my sophomore year of English, one of the few classes I never ditched.

Later, when I was eighteen, I moved to Los Angeles and of course I can only imagine my life would have been different if I had stayed in the Bay Area. Lastly, when Mr. Right failed to appear, I made the decision to have children on my own. Certainly my life would be very different if I hadn’t done that. As difficult as it sometimes is, that is the one decision I have never questioned. They are without a doubt my greatest source of pride and joy. Bottom line, I wouldn’t change a thing.

So, how about you, are there obvious and clear cut decisions that have made you who you are?

Though my family moved around a lot and had the influence of show business, the relative stability and normalcy of my upbringing instilled some lasting values that influenced me strongly over the years.

I remember one clear decision I made that changed my entire life. The moment I decided I didn’t care what anyone else thought about me. It was incredibly liberating and remains so to this day. I credit this decision for opening the door to courageous creativity. :-)